U.S. President Donald Trump announced to Congress on Nov. 2 that South Africa and Rwanda will be excluded from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) eligibility next year, reported Semafor, stripping both countries of duty-free access to the U.S. market under Washington’s flagship Africa trade program. The move could seriously affect especially South African exports, particularly in the auto sector.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said that the Trump administration has formally notified both governments of Trump’s decision. He claimed that an annual review had determined that Pretoria and Kigali have been engaging in “concerning and pervasive” practices inconsistent with AGOA’s eligibility criteria. These include “barriers that undermine American trade and investment” and practices that “pose a threat to US national security and foreign policy interests in the region.”

The move is the latest in the vendetta the Trump administration has been carrying out against South Africa as its punishment for South Africa’s taking Israel to the International Court of Justice for carrying out genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza. This campaign includes bogus claims that a genocide against South African white farmers is being carried out.